Original Article Taser doctor's credibility questioned Company's paid medical director denies any bias in research, statements about safety of stun guns Robert Anglen The Arizona Republic Jan. 23, 2005 12:00 AM The credibility of Taser International's medical director is being questioned over concerns that his research was "potentially biased" and that he may have misled a judge about his financial relationship with the company during a high-profile court case. Robert Stratbucker, who helped lay the foundation for Taser's claims of safety, has written several medical articles on the stun gun and has conducted studies that company officials use to promote the weapon to police departments across the country. But a Scottsdale research firm is raising concerns about Stratbucker's objectivity, which calls into question the doctor's long-held position that Taser has never caused a death or serious injury. "In the case of Dr. Robert A. Stratbucker, in particular, the evidence of bias is extremely compelling," according to the Gradient Analytics report obtained by The Arizona Republic. Stratbucker denied that his financial interests in Taser affected his objectivity, and he called the Gradient report a "piece of trash." "I was raised as a scientist, not a whore," the 74-year-old Taser employee said Saturday from his home in Omaha, Neb. "When it gets down to taking this report apart, they missed by a mile." Gradient's report comes only weeks after Taser's stock price dropped sharply following revelations that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Arizona attorney general were looking into Taser's safety claims and an end-of-year sale that helped the company meet its annual projections. The 14-page report focuses on an article about a cardiac-safety study co-written by Stratbucker, published in the peer-reviewed journal Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology and trumpeted by Taser in news releases just over a week ago as evidence of the stun gun's safety. Taser officials said Saturday that they stand by the safety article and cited Stratbucker's long list of credentials, including degrees in physiology and physics in addition to his medical and engineering licenses. "We are disappointed to see the debate on the safety of our life-saving technology shift from the scientific data to personal attacks on researchers," Taser spokesman Dave DuBay said. DuBay also questioned Gradient's ability to evaluate the article. In its report, Gradient questions the way the cardiac study was conducted and the "validity of the results." It says Taser was tested in a setting that did not match real-world circumstances. It said the study, which used a simulated device to shock pigs, does not take into account factors such as drugs, elevated heart rates and conditions such as heart disease. Those factors have been present in many of the deaths after a police Taser strike. In fact, Taser says those factors, not the Taser, that cause death. Taser has enjoyed remarkable success, going from a family business on the brink of bankruptcy to the nation's largest supplier of stun guns. It has armed nearly one-fifth of America's law enforcement agencies with Tasers and has made millions for investors in the past three years. Police departments across the country credit the stun gun with reducing the number of police shootings, suspect injuries and lawsuits since arming officers with the stun gun. But an ongoing investigation by The Republic has linked the stun gun to 12 deaths nationwide and the injuries of several police officers. Gradient co-founder Donn Vickrey said Saturday that he is concerned Taser has misled the public about the safety of its stun guns. "My only bias is finding out if they are misleading investors," he said. "That's not really a bias. I would say it is more of a goal than a bias." Gradient grades companies on "corporate governance" and sells its findings in reports to clients; the company gave Taser an "F" in its most recent report. The report suggests that cash and options paid to Stratbucker and others who conduct research on Tasers could lead to tainted results. Taser has acknowledged giving options to Stratbucker. Company officials insist other tests also have found the stun gun safe. Gradient criticizes Stratbucker, saying he was dismissed as an expert witness in the Jon Benet Ramsey murder case where a Taser might have been used as a weapon. "He was dismissed after it was shown that he had failed to disclose his relationship to Taser, (that) he had previously been compensated in cash and options by Taser and had ignored pertinent evidence that appeared to indicate the use of a Taser in the killing," Gradient said. The Gradient report cited several pages of testimony from Stratbucker's deposition in the case. Stratbucker said Saturday that his dismissal in the Ramsey civil case had nothing to do with contradictory statements he made during a depositionHe acknowledged that for years he received options and cash payments from Taser and is now a paid employee of the company. He said he also receives medical benefits from Taser. He acknowledged that some might see this as a conflict of interest, but he said he has not let his compensation influence his opinions and research. "Absolutely not," he said. "I have stated that in my experience, which dates back to the early '80s, I have not seen a death that I would attribute to Taser in a cardiac sense." He also said he would be skeptical about any death being attributed to Taser.